How Laura Loomer's pressure campaigns are reshaping the Trump administration
In mid-July, far-right activist Laura Loomer fired off a lengthy post on X targeting a senior Customs and Border Protection official, accusing him of having "Anti-Trump, pro-Open Borders, and Pro-DEI Bias," and demanding his removal from the federal government. "Why is this guy a Senior national security advisor at CBP, and why is he the Director of the National Vetting Center at @CBP?" Loomer wrote of the official, Monte Hawkins, who served under four presidents, both Democrat and Republican, and was previously appointed by theTrump administrationin 2018. Less than 48 hours later, after also sending an appeal directly to the Department of Homeland Security, Loomer says an official personally contacted her, thanked her for amplifying the information, and later informed her that Hawkins had been removed. MORE: Trump pulls surgeon general pick following Laura Loomer complaints "I posted my report 2 days ago. Now he's FIRED," Loomer wrote on X. When asked about Hawkins' status, a DHS official told ABC News that Hawkins was placed on administrative leave. The episode is a clear example not only of how Loomer's pressure campaigns operate, but how she has increasingly carved out an unofficial but influential role as a political enforcer targetingadministration officialsshe sees as disloyal to President Donald Trump. In Trump's second term, Loomer's efforts to single out officials for removal are being treated with growing urgency by the federal agencies she targets -- handing an outside ally of Trump a significant level of power. Loomer, who got her start as an undercover operative for the right-wing sting group Project Veritas, has been on a self-proclaimed mission to rid the administration of officials she says aredisloyal to the president-- particularly those who served under the Biden administration or have previously disparaged Trump -- including some who served in Trump's first term. By ABC News' count, Loomer's pressure campaigns have so far contributed to the ouster of at least 15 individuals from Trump's second administration, through either direct firings or the withdrawal of senior political nominations, across six different federal agencies. "I don't keep count anymore," Loomer told ABC News when asked how many officials she had helped force out. "There's too many to keep track of." Just last week, the Trump administration pushed out FDA vaccine chief Dr. Vinay Prasad, removed NSA General Counsel April Falcon Doss, and rescinded Jen Easterly's appointment as chair of West Point's social sciences department -- each move coming shortly after public attacks and pressure from Loomer. "So many scalps this week! Stacking them up!" Loomer wrote on X this week following a string of ousters thanks at least in part to her efforts. Easterly, who previously worked for President George Bush's national security adviser Condoleezza Rice and led the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency under President Biden, posed Thursday on LinkedIn, "As a lifelong independent, I've served our nation in peacetime and combat under Republican and Democratic administrations" and that "Unfortunately, the opportunity to serve again at my alma mater was rescinded -- a casualty of casually manufactured outrage that drowned out the quiet labor of truth and the steady pulse of integrity." Loomer's campaigns have helped lead to the departures of officials from agencies including the National Security Agency, the National Security Council, the Department of Justice, the Department of Health and Human Services, the Food and Drug Administration, and the Department of Defense. Most of the officials had held or were nominated for senior roles in the administration, including NSA DirectorGen. Timothy Haugh, federal prosecutor Maurene Comey, and Trump's original pick for surgeon general,Dr. Janette Nesheiwat. Loomer told ABC News she finds her targets through a mix of research and tips she receives from her tip line or from followers on social media. Some tips even come from other Trump administration officials, she said. "I do a lot of the research myself ... I get tips every day," she said. Once she identifies a new target, Loomer says she often privately flags her findings to the relevant cabinet official or agency, urging them to take action. But if she feels her research is being ignored, Loomer says she will take the fight public and use her large social media following to ramp up the pressure for the administration to take action. "Sometimes I go private, and then sometimes I post," Loomer said. "But if too much time passes between the time that I go private and the time that action is taken, I have to go public." "People think they can just sit on their laurels and wait and twiddle their thumbs, and that's not how it works," she said. A major part of Loomer's leverage seems to show itself when she goes public with her attacks. Loomer's posts targeting officials often go viral on X and throughout MAGA circles, quickly grabbing millions of impressions and tens of thousands of likes and reposts, putting more pressure on the administration to act. But that wasn't always the case. For years, Loomer was banned from posting on Twitter for violating hate-speech policies with anti-Muslim posts targeting Rep. Ilhan Omar. She was reinstated when tech billionaire and Trump supporter Elon Musk purchased Twitter and renamed it X -- but even then, Loomer complained to Musk that her account was being throttled and shadowbanned, two ways in which the platform is said to limit access to content. Those claims stopped at the end of January, and Loomer's X account impressions surged -- as did her efforts to target administration officials. Through her work, Loomer says she's in direct contact with senior officials across the federal government and the White House -- as well as Trump himself. "I have communication with the president. I'm a big supporter, and I'll remain a supporter," Loomer said. When asked how many cabinet officials she's in touch with regularly, Loomer said, "I mean, I know a lot of people." "I've been in this line of work for a very long time," she said, describing her outreach as requesting comment as part of her journalism. But unlike most journalists, Loomer is usually calling for those officials to be fired, and often celebrates the results. In some federal agencies, her social posts have helped fuel anxiety, with some staffers sharing them in internal group chats whenever a new official is targeted, sources told ABC News. Amid the barrage of attacks, few of those targeted by Loomer have publicly responded to her claims. One person close to someone Loomer targeted told ABC News that many of her targets are afraid to speak out due to fear of retaliation and the potential impact on their future career prospects. "For a number of folks if you don't have the platform she does you're bringing a butter knife to a real knife fight," the person said. Asked about Loomer's influence, White House spokesperson Kush Desai said in a statement to ABC News, "It is not only appropriate, but critical for the Administration to continue to recruit the most qualified and experienced staffers who are totally aligned with President Trump's agenda to Make America Great Again." "The results that this Administration has already delivered for the American people -- from peace deals to trade deals -- prove that President Trump has assembled the best and brightest talent to put Americans and America First," Desai said. MORE: Far-right activist Laura Loomer pushes back amid criticism of her proximity to Trump Trump, asked over the weekend about Loomer's influence, said that while she is known as being "radical right," he views her as a "patriot." "I think she's a patriot, and she gets excited because of the fact that she's a patriot," Trump told reporters. "And she doesn't like things going on that she thinks are bad for the country. I like her." In March, Loomer launched her own consulting firm, Loomered Strategies, where she says she advises clients on opposition research and vetting. She told The New York Times that she has five clients and that overall her activities earn a gross income of about $300,000. As Loomer's profile has risen, some critics online have accused her of being paid to target specific officials and appointees, which Loomer has pushed back on. "Wow you're telling me I could have been paid $100,000 for simply pointing out the obvious that a Trump hater who loves the radical left shouldn't be in the Trump admin?" Loomer wrote last week on X, responding to a critic accusing her of being paid to target Prasad. With her growing list of "scalps," many in the MAGA base have called for Loomer to be given an official role inside the Trump administration, and have questioned why that hasn't happened yet. It's something she claims the president has offered her multiple times, but has been blocked each time. The relationship between Loomer and White House staff is viewed by some as an ongoing balancing act, as senior officials work to utilize her impact and influence -- and close relationship with the president -- while still trying to keep her at a distance, sources familiar with the matter told ABC News. Some inside the administration have used Loomer's work as a tool to target other officials they are seeking to have removed, sources said. "I had four jobs given to me in this Trump administration that basically have been taken away from me because some of President Trump's staff suffer from the incurable disease of professional jealousy," Loomer said. MORE: Loomer, far-right activist, urged Trump to remove NSA director and others: Sources If she continues to be denied a formal position, Loomer told ABC News that she plans to keep operating as her "own independent agency." "If I'm going to be denied access by jealous staffers, and I'm also going to be denied access to the press room as a credentialed member of the press, even though I'm more deserving than most of the people who have access, then I have to operate as my own independent agency," she said. "So it's basically like my own agency that operates outside of the confines of the White House and the federal government," Loomer said. Loomer says she doesn't know which staffers around Trump are stopping her from joining the administration in an official capacity, but she does not blame the president. "I have no idea" who those staffers are, she said. "That's a question for the media to go find out. I just think it's really bizarre that I could be hired four times and [get blocked]. I don't hold it against President Trump for the way that some of his staff behaves towards me. But it is an elephant in the room." When asked, the White House did not answer questions about whether Loomer had been offered positions in the administration that were later denied, or why. MORE: Trump's effort to quell MAGA revolt over Epstein files seems to add fuel to the fire Loomer's efforts to remove officials haven't all been successful, with a few officials having survived her attacks. One in particular has remained in place despite months of criticism dating back almost to the start of Trump's second term: Attorney General Pam Bondi, who Loomer has targeted for her handling of theEpstein filesand other issues. "I mean, I'm not a fan. I'm not a fan, but everybody knows that," Loomer said when asked whether her view of Bondi had changed. Asked if she still believed Bondi would be fired, as she's called for since February, Loomer replied, "Probably not." "President Trump has already made his decision on her. But like I said, I mean, I stand by my reporting," Loomer said.
How Laura Loomer's pressure campaigns are reshaping the Trump administration In mid-July, far-right activist Laura Loomer fired off a le...
